PBS News Hour

>> Woodruff: A FAST-MOVING, INVISIBLE ENEMY SWEEPING ACROSS THE GLOBE, EMPTYING STREETS AND SCHOOLS, GRINDING TRAVEL TO A HALT, SHUTTERING BUSINESSES AND CRASHING MARKETS... >> I AM OFFICIALLY DECLARING A NATIONAL EMERGENCY.

>> Woodruff: ...TURNING LIVES UPSIDE DOWN.

WE COLLECTED YOUR QUESTIONS, AND, ON "CONFRONTING CORONAVIRUS," WE'LL SEARCH FOR ANSWERS.

>> TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, WE'LL CONSIDER ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.

>> Woodruff: AND WE'LL LOOK TO THE FUTURE AND WHAT IT MAY HOLD.

>> THE RULE OF THE GAME IS, NEVER GIVE UP.

>> Woodruff: WELCOME TO OUR PBS NEWSHOUR SPECIAL, "CONFRONTING CORONAVIRUS."

I'M JUDY WOODRUFF.

A VIRUS NONE OF US CAN SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE HAS TURNED OUR LIVES UPSIDE DOWN IN WAYS WE COULDN'T IMAGINE JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO.

MOST OF US ARE ANXIOUS BECAUSE SO MUCH HAS CHANGED SO FAST; FRIGHTENED BECAUSE SO MUCH IS UNKNOWN.

KNOWING THAT, WE DECIDED TO TRY TO ADDRESS SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS.

OVER THE PAST WEEK, WE'VE COLLECTED YOUR QUESTIONS, AND, TONIGHT, WE'VE INVITED A TEAM OF EXPERTS TO ANSWER MANY OF THEM.

THEY COVER YOUR OWN PERSONAL HEALTH, THE ECONOMY, AND HOW PREPARED WE ARE AS A COUNTRY FOR THIS THREAT.

LATER, WE'LL ALSO HEAR FROM DR. ANTHONY FAUCI OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, PROBABLY THE MOST RESPECTED VOICE IN THE NATION RIGHT NOW.

BUT TO BEGIN, A LOOK AT HOW WE GOT HERE.

>> IT'S ALL OVER THE WORLD.

IT'S INCREDIBLE WHAT'S HAPPENED IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

>> Woodruff: ONLY A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE DISEASE NOW KNOWN AS "COVID-19" IS BELIEVED TO HAVE ORIGINATED AT ONE SEAFOOD AND POULTRY MARKET IN THE CITY OF WUHAN, CHINA.

IN LATE DECEMBER, HEALTH OFFICIALS IN THAT CITY BEGAN REPORTING DOZENS OF CASES OF PNEUMONIA WITH NO KNOWN CAUSE.

THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS SLOW TO DISCLOSE THE EXTENT OF THE OUTBREAK, BUT OFFICIALS SOON IDENTIFIED A NEW FLU-LIKE RESPIRATORY VIRUS BELONGING TO THE FAMILY OF CORONAVIRUSES, NAMED FOR THE CROWN-LIKE SPIKES ON THEIR SURFACE.

>> WE'VE BEEN EXPECTING A NOVEL CORONAVIRUS TO EMERGE FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS.

>> Woodruff: PETER DASZAK IS A ZOOLOGIST WHO HAS SPENT YEARS STUDYING HOW DISEASES SPREAD FROM WILDLIFE TO HUMANS, AND LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT CORONAVIRUSES.

>> THE CLOSEST RELATIVE TO THE VIRUS THAT CAUSES COVID-19 IS ONE THAT WE FOUND IN BATS IN 2013.

AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHER CORONAVIRUSES THAT ARE VERY CLOSELY RELATED TO THIS ONE.

>> Woodruff: THERE ARE SEVEN KNOWN TYPES OF CORONAVIRUS THAT CAN AFFECT HUMANS.

FOUR CAUSE MILD SYMPTOMS EACH YEAR, LIKE THE COMMON COLD.

ANOTHER IS SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME, OR SARS, WHICH ALSO ORIGINATED IN CHINA IN 2002 AND HAS SINCE INFECTED 8,000 PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, KILLING ABOUT 10% OF THEM.

YET ANOTHER IS MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME, OR MERS, WHICH BROKE OUT IN 2012 AND 2013 IN SAUDI ARABIA, INFECTED NEARLY 2,500 AND KILLED MORE THAN 850, THAT'S ABOUT 35% DEATH RATE.

>> THIS ONE, COVID-19, HAS A MUCH LOWER MORTALITY RATE, BUT STILL AT LEAST TEN TIMES HIGHER THAN THE SEASON FLU.

SO, IT'S LETHAL, AND IT ALSO SPREADS VERY EASILY.

>> Woodruff: THE VIRUS APPEARS TO PASS THROUGH DROPLETS IN THE AIR AND ON SURFACES.

CHILDREN SEEM LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO COVID-19, AND THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE RECOVER WITHOUT HOSPITALIZATION.

BUT IT'S ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS FOR OLDER ADULTS AND THOSE WITH UNDERLYING HEALTH PROBLEMS.

THERE IS CURRENTLY NO AVAILABLE VACCINE FOR COVID-19.

>> THE ANSWER TO CONTAINING IS PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES.

WE CAN'T RELY ON A VACCINE IN THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS TO A YEAR.

>> Woodruff: AFTER COVID-19 SPREAD IN WUHAN IN JANUARY, CHINESE OFFICIALS BEGAN DRASTIC MEASURES TO CONTAIN IT-- BUILDING TEMPORARY HOSPITALS TO ISOLATE CASES, FORCING PEOPLE INTO QUARANTINE, AND EVEN SEPARATING FAMILY MEMBERS.

BUT BY MID-JANUARY, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REPORTED THAT COVID-19 HAD ESCAPED CHINA, FIRST TO THAILAND, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA, AND THEN BEYOND.

THE UNITED STATES CONFIRMED ITS FIRST CASE IN WASHINGTON STATE, AND WITH CASES GROWING AROUND THE GLOBE, BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE W.H.O.

DECLARED A GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY.

>> THE MAIN REASON FOR THIS DECLARATION IS NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN CHINA, BUT BECAUSE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

>> Woodruff: YET, EARLY ON, PRESIDENT TRUMP CONSISTENTLY DOWNPLAYED THE THREAT FROM THE VIRUS.

>> WE HAVE IT TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL.

LOOKS LIKE BY APRIL.

YOU KNOW, IN THEORY, WHEN IT GETS A LITTLE WARMER, IT MIRACULOUSLY GOES AWAY.

HOPE THAT'S TRUE.

THE RISK TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE REMAINS VERY LOW.

>> Woodruff: BUT IT SOON BECAME CLEAR THE U.S. WASN'T DOING ENOUGH TESTING TO UNDERSTAND HOW QUICKLY IT WAS SPREADING HERE.

>> WE CANNOT STOP THIS PANDEMIC IF WE DON'T KNOW WHO IS INFECTED.

>> Woodruff: AS MORE CASES WERE CONFIRMED, SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES CLOSED, MARKETS PLUNGED, AND, LATE LAST WEEK, PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCED A NATIONAL EMERGENCY AND CHANGED HIS TONE.

>> IT'S NOT A GOOD SITUATION.

AND I'M NOT EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE ECONOMY.

I'M TALKING ABOUT THE LIVES OF A LOT OF PEOPLE.

>> Woodruff: BUT AS TESTING RAMPS UP AND HUGE PARTS OF THE COUNTRY ARE SHUTTING DOWN, THERE'S CONCERN ABOUT WHETHER IT'S TOO LATE TO PREVENT A CRUSH AT THE NATION'S HOSPITALS, SOMETHING ALREADY SEEN IN ITALY AND IRAN.

MEANWHILE, IN CHINA, IT APPEARS THAT THE DRASTIC MEASURES TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT ARE WORKING; OFFICIALS THERE SAY NEW INFECTIONS HAVE SLOWED DRAMATICALLY.

AND TWO MONTHS AFTER THEY TOOK ACTION, RESTRICTIONS ARE BEING LIFTED, EVEN AS THE FULL SCOPE OF THIS PANDEMIC REMAINS UNCLEAR.

I'M JOINED TONIGHT BY MY NEWSHOUR COLLEAGUE, AMNA NAWAZ.

SHE IS GOING TO WALK US THROUGH THE WIDE RANGE OF QUESTIONS WE'VE RECEIVED FROM VIEWERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

AMNA, YOU'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT OF STORIES ABOUT HOW AMERICANS ARE COPING.

>> Nawaz: THAT'S RIGHT, JUDY.

BEFORE WE TURN TO THOSE QUESTIONS, WE WANT TO SHARE SOME PERSONAL STORIES FROM SOME OF OUR VIEWERS, TELLING US HOW COVID-19 IS IMPACTING THEIR LIVES AND THEIR HEALTH.

FIRST, A CALIFORNIA MAN WHO WAS UNDER QUARANTINE AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR THE VIRUS.

THEN, A NEW YORK WOMAN WHO IS SICK BUT CAN'T GET TESTED.

>> MY NAME IS CARL GOLDMAN.

I'M QUARANTINED IN OMAHA.

>> I'M THERESA MacPHAIL FROM BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

>> NOT ALLOWED TO GO OUTSIDE MY DOOR.

I'M ONLY ALLOWED TO ANSWER MY DOOR WITH A MASK ON.

>> I STARTED FEELING UNWELL ON FEBRUARY 29.

MY FEVER SPIKED TO 102.5.

I WENT TO THE E.R.

HERE IN BROOKLYN AND WAS TESTED FOR FLU AND STREP BUT WAS NOT TESTED FOR COVID.

I WAS SIMPLY SENT HOME FOR QUARANTINE.

THEY'RE ONLY TESTING PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY, VERY SEVERE OR EXTREMELY AT RISK, NEITHER OF WHICH I AM.

>> THE MENTAL SIDE OF THIS DEFINITELY HAS ADDED TO THE STRESS.

WHEN MY WIFE RETURNED TWO WEEKS AGO TO SANTA CLARITA, SHE NEVER AGO TO SANTA CLARITA, SHE NEVER HAD THE VIRUS, RETURNED TO SANTA CLARITA, AND PEOPLE STILL WERE SHUNNING HER.

>> IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO BE TESTED.

IF I HAD KNOWN IF THERE HAD BEEN A WAY TO GET EARLY, AN EASY TESTING AND I DO HAVE COVID.

AND, AGAIN, IT'S UNCLEAR IF I DO HAVE IT.

BUT HAVING THAT KNOWLEDGE WOULD HAVE SAVED ME FROM MAYBE FIVE OR SIX DAYS OF UNNECESSARILY EXPOSING PEOPLE AROUND ME.

>> I THINK THE HARDEST PART FOR ME IS BEING ABLE TO GET BACK TO NATURE.

OR JUST EVEN STEPPING OUTSIDE FOR A MINUTE TO BREATHE FRESH AIR OR NO LONGER LOOKING AT THE FOUR WALLS IN MY ROOM.

>> Nawaz: SINCE SENDING US THAT VIDEO, WE SHOULD MENTION CARL HAS BEEN FREED FROM QUARANTINE.

HE'S HOME AND DOING WELL.

BUT BOTH STORIES RAISE CONCERNS WE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF OUR VIEWERS, SO WE HAVE TWO EXPERTS HERE TO ADDRESS THEM NOW.

DR. LEANA WEN IS AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSOR AT GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY.

SHE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS BALTIMORE'S HEALTH COMMISSIONER.

AND DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER IS A PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.

THANK YOU TO YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.

I WANT TO JUMP RIGHT IN TO SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE'VE SURE GOT A LOT.

HERE'S ONE NOW FROM RACHAEL STILLWELL, 52 YORES OLD FROM WOODLAND HILLS, CALIFORNIA.

TAKELASEEN TO HER QUESTIONS.

>> WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO ME ABOUT HOW TO POLITELY CONVINCE MY 76-YEAR-OLD MOM WHO LIVES IN OREGON AND HAS A VERY ACTIVE SOCIAL LIFE THAT SHE SHOULD CURTAIL SOME OF HER SOCIAL ACTIVITIES WITH HER FRIENDS THAT SHE'S USED TO SEEING ALMOST EVERY DAY?

>> Reporter: WE'VE HEARD THIS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, SOCIAL DISTANCING ESPECIALLY FOR MEMBERS OF THE VOL MEMORABLE POPULATION, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO RACHAEL?

>> I WOULD SAY THIS IS FOR YOUR HEALTH AND OTHERS AROUND YOU.

FOR YOUR HEALTH BECAUSE OLDER PEOPLE AND THOSE ARE CHRONIC MEDICAL ILLNESSES ARE IN THE CATEGORY OF THE MEDICALLY MOST VULNERABLE TO COVID 19, AND ALSO THIS IS FOR OTHER PEOPLE, TOO, BECAUSE WE KNOW THE BEST WAY, THE ONLY WAY AT THIS POINT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF COVID 19 IS TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO BE EMOTIONALLY DISTANT, BUT TO BE PHYSICALLY DISTANT FROM OTHER PEOPLE.

THIS IS FOR EVERYONE IN OUR SOCIETY TO IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH DURING THIS CRITICAL TIME.

>> SNOO DR. SCHAFFNER, WHAT'S YOUR ADVICE FOR HER?

>> VERY SIMILAR, AND IT'S TIME FOR FaceTime RATHER THAN FACE-TO-FACE.

WE DON'T WANT TO SPREAD THE VIRUS AND WE DON'T WANT TO ACQUIRE THE VIRUS, AND THE WAY TO DO THAT IS NOT TO BE IN GROUPS, NOT TO BE IN FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION WITH OUR FRIENDS.

>> AND ALL WE CAN DO IS HOPE THEY LISTEN.

I WANT TO GO TO ANOTHER QUESTION NOW.

DR. SCHAFFNER, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO RESPOND TO THIS FIRST.

FROM BILL CHRISTIANSON, WHO IS ASKING ABOUT A DIFFERENT SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION AND WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT CORONAVIRUS AND COVID 19.

THIS IS BILL CHRISTIANSON FROM WILLIAMSBERG, VIRGINIA.

>> I UNDERSTAND CHILDREN WHO ARE EXPOSED TO COVID 19 ARE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO HAVE A SERIOUS ILLNESS.

I'D LIKE THE KNOW IF LARGE POPULATIONS OF CHILDREN PERHAPS IN ITALY OR CHINA HAVE BEEN TESTED TO DETERMINE IF THEY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED AND, IF THEY HAVE, IN FACT, BECOME CARRIERS OF THE DISEASE.

>> DR. SCHAFFNER, WHAT DO WE KNOW WHEN IT COMES TO CHILDREN AND COVID 19?

>> WELL, WE'RE LEARNING MUCH MORE ABOUT CHILDREN.

CHILDREN CAN BECOME INFECTED, THEY DON'T GET THE SERIOUS DISEASE -- THEY MAY GET A MILDER ILLNESS OR HAVE NO ILLNESS AT ALL -- BUT IT'S BECOMING APPARENT THEY ARE GOOD TRANSMITTERS OF THE VIRUS AS WITH INFLUENZA, SO THEY CAN DISTRIBUTE IT AMONGST THEMSELVES AND THEN GIVE IT TO OLDER PERSONS WHO MAY, INDEED, HAVE THESE CHRONIC UNDERLYING CONDITIONS OR, BECAUSE OF AGE, BE MORE VULNERABLE.

>> DOCTOR, DOES THAT MEAN CHILDREN WILL NOT GET SEVERELY ILL FROM THE VIRUS?

>> ACTUALLY, WE ARE LEARNING NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EVERY DAY BECAUSE THIS IS A NEW ILLNESS, AND NEW RESEARCH IS COMING OUT.

IT APPEARS, BASED ON THE STUDIES THAT, IN CHINA, CHILDREN DON'T GET SERIOUSLY MILL AS DR. SCHAFFNER MENTIONED, HOWEVER, THERE ARE NEW STUDIES THAT SHOW YOUNG CHILDREN UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE COULD GET AND DO GET CRITICALLY ILL.

SO IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO KEEP ON MONITORING AND TO REMEMBER THAT ALL OF US ARE SUS SUSCEPTIBLE TO COVID 19.

NO ONE IS IMMUNE.

THIS IS A NEW DISEASE AND THERE'S NO VACCINE, SO THAT'S WHY PREVENTION IS WHAT WE HAVE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AND INTO OUR OWN HANDS.

>> DR. SCHAFFNER, WE'RE GETTING NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE FACT THAT, HERE IN THE U.S., THERE HAVE BEEN INCREASED NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR YOUNGER MEMBERS OF THE POPULATION, NOT THIS VULNERABLE, OLDER POPULATION WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT.

WHAT SHOULD WE TAKE AWAY FROM THAT INFORMATION NOW?

>> I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, SO THIS IS A VIRUS THAT CAN TAKE A YOUNG PERSON AND PUT THEM IN THE HOSPITAL WITHIN 48 HOURS.

IT'S A SERIOUS INFECTION AND, BEYOND THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN BE TRANSMITTERS TO OLDER PEOPLE.

SO THIS IS A MESSAGE FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES TO GET WITH THE PROGRAM AND, ALSO, PARTICIPATE IN SOCIAL DISTANCING.

>> Reporter: DR. WEN, WHAT'S YOUR TAKEAWAY FROM THAT INFORMATION TODAY?

>> I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH DR. SCHAFFNER THAT THIS IS -- NONE OF US ARE IMMUNE FROM COVID 19.

WE SHOULD TAKE THIS EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY.

YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GETTING SICK, JUST AS OLDER PEOPLE ARE, AND THIS IS A SITUATION THAT WE CAN ALL PREVENT GOING FORWARD BY REDUCING THE RATE OF TRANSMISSION AND, IDEALLY, KEEPING UP WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING, SO AS TO STOP THE SPREAD HERE IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

>> AND BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH WE DON'T KNOW, WE FIELDED A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT TRANSMISSION, ABOUT HOW PEOPLE CAN GET IT.

ONE, FROM A WOMAN IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ST STACY, SAYS HOW G DOES THE VIRUS REMAIN TRANCE MISSABLE ON VARIOUS SURFACES?

DOES TEMPERATURE OR HUMIDITY AFFECT ITS VIABILITY?

DR. WEN, WHAT DO WE KNOW?

>> WE KNOW THAT THE VIRUS LIVES POTENTIALLY FOR A LONG TIME, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF SURFACE.

SO HARD, NONPOROUS SURFACES LIKE A DOORKNOB, AN ELEVATOR BUTTON OR A TABLE, A COUNTERTOP, THE VIRUS COULD LIVE BETWEEN HOURS TO DAYS, DEPENDING ON THE OTHER CONDITIONS, LIKE HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE.

POROUS SURFACES, SOFT SURFACES LIKE HAIR AND CLOTHES, THE VIRUS LIVES FOR A SHORTER PERIOD OF TIME.

THIS IS WHY, THOUGH, WE NEED TO PRACTICE REALLY GOOD HAND HYGIENE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TOUCHING MANY SURFACES.

IT'S NOT PRACTICAL TO STOP TOUCHING THINGS, BUT WE CAN WASH OUR HANDS FREQUENTLY WITH SOAP AND WATER, REDUCE TOUCHING OF OUR FACE AND ALSO DISINFECTING SURFACES AROUND OUR HOUSE AS WELL.

>> Reporter: I WANT TO PLAY A QUESTION FROM DEBORAH, 66 YEARS OLD, IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, AND SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT POTENTIAL LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF COVID 19.

TAKE A LISTEN.

>> IF SOMEONE RECOVERS FROM COVID 19, WILL THEY HAVE LONG-TERM LUNG DAMAGE?

>> Reporter: WE KNOW MANY PEOPLE MAY GET SICK, WE KNOW THE VAST MAJORITY WILL RECOVER.

DR. WEN, DO WE KNOW WHAT THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS ARE?

>> IF YOU BECOME VERY SICK FROM COVID 19 AND END UP WITH PNEUMONIA AND ON A VENTILATOR, YOU DO HAVE LUNG DAMAGE AND THAT COULD BE PERMANENT, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WILL HAVE MILD SYMPTOMS, MILD ILLNESS, WILL RECOVER AND LIKELY DEVELOP IMMUNITY TO IT IN THE FUTURE.

>> Reporter: DR. SCHAFFNER, I ASK YOU TO GIVE ADVICE, PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW, WITH REGARDS TO THEIR OWN PERSONAL HEALTH AND THE HEALTH OF EVERYBODY AROUND THEM, IN THE FEW SECONDS WE HAVE LEFT, WHAT CAN THEY BE DOING NOW TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE?

>> WELL, THE MOST THING -- THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN DO IS REACH OUT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE SEQUESTERED AT HOME, HELP THEM GET THEIR GROCERIES, THEIR MEDICATION, ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE WITH THEM THROUGH FaceTime, KEEP UP THEIR SPIRITS, AND REMIND THEM THAT WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS GOOD FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR EVERYONE ELSE AROUND THEM.

WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

>> Reporter: INCREDIBLY HELPFUL INFORMATION.

THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU FOR BEING WITH US TODAY, DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER AND DR. LEANA WEN.

THANK YOU TO YOUR QUESTIONS AS WELL.

WE'LL HAVE MORE LATER IN THE SHOW.

FOR TIPS ON WHAT YOU CAN BE DOING NOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COVID 19, HERE'S SOME TIPS FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL.

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION.

ED.

>> Nawaz: THE PANDEMIC IS NOT JUST A HEALTH CRISIS; IT'S ALSO TRIGGERED AN ECONOMIC CRISIS, AND IT'S ALREADY HAVING A MAJOR IMPACT ON OUR JOBS, OUR FINANCES, AND OUR FUTURES.

AS THE FEARS AND UNCERTAINTY AROUND COVID-19 SPREAD, FINANCIAL MARKETS HAVE BEEN LEFT REELING.

>> WALL STREET CRASHED AGAIN, WITH THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIES FALLING... FREE-FALLING NEARLY 3,000 POINTS, OR 13 POINTS-- THE MOST IN 30 YEARS.

>> Nawaz: JUST ONE MONTH AGO, WALL STREET WAS TRADING AT RECORD HIGHS.

TODAY?

VOLATILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL.

TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF MARKET VALUE HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT, AND FEARS OF AN APPROACHING RECESSION ARE GROWING.

>> Nawaz: U.S. STOCKS ARE NOW DOWN NEARLY 30% FROM THEIR RECENT PEAK IN FEBRUARY.

SOME OF THE HARDEST HIT INDUSTRIES?

AIRLINES AND TOURISM.

MAJOR CARRIERS LIKE AMERICAN AIRLINES, DELTA AND UNITED HAVE BEEN DEALT A STAGGERING BLOW AND ARE ASKING FOR AN IMMEDIATE $50 BILLION INJECTION OF FINANCIAL AID TO AVOID BANKRUPTCY IN THE COMING MONTHS.

IN THE U.S., SEVERAL STATES HAVE ORDERED BARS AND RESTAURANTS TO CLOSE, LEAVING MILLIONS OF WORKERS UNCERTAIN ABOUT THE FUTURE.

>> I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT HOW I'M GOING TO PAY MY BILLS.

>> Nawaz: THAT CONCERN IS SPREADING AS LAYOFFS AND FURLOUGHS BEGIN ACROSS A NUMBER OF SECTORS.

FORD, G.M.

AND FIAT-CHRYSLER HAVE ALL TEMPORARILY CLOSED U.S. PLANTS.

AND AS GOVERNMENTS ASK AMERICANS TO AVOID ANY GATHERING OF TEN PEOPLE OR MORE, LIFE IN AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT IS CHANGING LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

ALL THAT MEANS AMUSEMENT PARKS LIKE DISNEY WORLD: SHUT DOWN.

MAJOR MUSIC FESTIVALS AND TOURS: CANCELLED.

PROFESSIONAL AND COLLEGE SPORTS: ON HOLD.

>> WE HAVE NOT EVER SEEN A SHOCK LIKE THIS SINCE 9/11.

>> Nawaz: THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS WORKING TO PASS BILLIONS IN AID, ASSISTANCE AND LOANS.

THE FEDERAL RESERVE, IN COORDINATION WITH CENTRAL BANKS AROUND THE WORLD, SLASHED INTEREST RATES TO ZERO IN A DESPERATE EFFORT TO SHORE UP THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM.

BUT THE DEEP AND STRUCTURAL SHOCKS TO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY ARE JUST BEGINNING TO BE FELT FROM WHAT EXPERTS CALL THE WORST PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IN A CENTURY.

LET'S TALK NOW ABOUT THOSE SHOCKS AND WHAT THEY MEAN TODAY AND DOWN THE LINE.

JOINING US FROM CHICAGO, AUSTAN GOOLSBEE.

HE WAS THE CHAIR OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS AND IS NOW AN ECONOMICS PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.

HERE WITH ME IS MICHELLE SINGLETARY, A PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST FOR THE "WASHINGTON POST."

THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU FOR BEING.

I WANT TO JUMP INTO THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE WRRIED.

AUSTAN, I WANT YOU TO MEET LINDA ELKIN, A 70-YEAR-OLD RETIREE FROM ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

HERE'S HER FIRST QUESTION.

>> I'M RETIRED AND MY PENSION IS SINKING LIKE THE TITANIC RIGHT NOW.

IS THERE ANYTHING THE GOVERNMENT CAN DO TO HELP RETIREES?

>> Reporter: AUSTIN, WHAT ABOUT THAT?

HELP COMING FOR PEOPLE LIKE LINDA?

>> WELL, YES AND NO.

LOOK, AS WE GO THROUGH A PERIOD LIKE THIS AND THE STOCK MARKET IS DOWN AND THEN UP A LITTLE AND DOWN SOME MORE, THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW TALKING ABOUT SHORT-RUN RELIEF THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SEND CHECKS OUT TO POTENTIALLY EVERY AMERICAN OR A LOT OF AMERICANS OR ALL AMERICANS BELOW A CERTAIN INCOME LEVEL, IT WILL HELP A RETIREE LIKE HER MORE THAN A PAYROLL TAX CUT WOULD HAVE, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE SHE'S NOT PAYING PAYROLL TAX, BUT I THINK, IN A MOMENT LIKE THIS WHERE THE VIRUS HAS TAKEN OVER AND THE ECONOMY'S IN LOCKDOWN, VIRUS ECONOMICS AREN'T THE SAME AS REGULAR ECONOMICS, AS I SAY.

SO I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ARE TRYING TO PROTECT YOUR HEALTH, THE GOVERNMENT'S GOT TO TRY TO SLOW THE SPREAD OF THIS VIRUS, AND WE'VE GOT TO JUST MAKE SURE WE DON'T MORPH WHAT IS A SHORT-TERM INTENSE PAIN HIT ON THE ECONOMY, THAT WE DON'T MORPH IT INTO SOME LONG-RUN DEPRESSION-LIKE ENTITY.

>> Reporter: MICHELLE TO THAT POINT, A DIFFERENT QUESTION FROM pPOPULATION PROCESSING THI DIFFERENTLY.

A FEY RACHAEL KABAGABU, 26 YEARS OLD AND LIVES IN TEXAS.

SHE WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT HER FUTURE.

>> IS IT WISE TO CHANGE MY INVESTING?

SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER I AM PUTTING MY MONEY IN?

SHOULD BY TAKING MONEY OUT TO HAVE THE STOCK MARKET?

WHAT SHOULD I DO CONCERNING MY PERSONAL FINANCES?

>> Reporter: IN ALL THIS VOLATILITY, HOW DOES SOMEONE LIKE RACHAEL PROCESS THAT?

>> THE GOOD THING IS SHE'S GOT YOUTH ON HER TIME.

SHE'S GOT DECADES BEFORE RETIREMENT, SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE HER TO CONTINUE TO INVEST HER RETIREMENT BECAUSE, RIGHT NOW, UNFORTUNATELY FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE CLOSEST TO RETIREMENT, STOCKS ARE ON SALE, EQUITIES ARE ON SALE AND SHE'LL GET MORE FOR HER MONEY.

MAKE SURE THAT AS SHE'S INVESTING SHE'S DIVERSIFIED BUT I COULD SAY CONTINUE TO GO AHEAD.

RIGHT NOW AT THIS MOMENT, IT SEEMS LIKE IT WILL NEVER END, BUT IT WILL END.

EVEN IF IT TAKES THEM A YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO FIND A VACCINE HOPEFULLY, AND THINGS WILL START TO SLOWLY RECOVER AND ALL THAT MONEY, EVEN THOUGH IT'S SCARY NOW, WILL START TO INCREASE, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MARKETS HAVE DONE HISTORICALLY.

EVEN THE GREAT DEPRESSION ENDED.

>> Reporter: ON THAT POINT, AUSTAN, I HAVE A QUESTION FROM DIANA IN NORTH CAROLINA, STHOAPTS KNOW -- SHE WANTS TO KNOW HOW LONG IT WILL GO.

ARE YOU AS OPTIMISTIC AS MICHELLE IS?

>> I WOULD SAY YES, OVERALL.

WHAT I WOULD SAY TO DIANA IS, WHEN YOU'RE IN AN ENVIRONMENT LIKE THIS, IT'S NOT JUST HAVE WE, SOCIETY, THE NATION, CAN DO THINGS TO PREVENT THIS THING FROM TURNING INTO A LONG-RUN GREAT DEPRESSION-LIKE CATASTROPHE, AND THIS STARTS WITH THE HEALTH ASPECT.

WE'VE GOT TO INVEST IN SLOWING DOWN THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.

THE THING THAT'S KILLING THE ECONOMY AT THIS MOMENT IS THAT WE'RE IN LOCKDOWN.

IT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULD JUST DECLARE THAT IT'S NOT A LOCKUPDOWN.

IT DOES MEAN THAT IF YOU FOLLOW THE LESSON, SAY, OF SOUTH KOREA WHERE THEY'RE DOING EXTENSIVE TESTING SO IF YOU LEAVE YOUR HOUSE THERE'S A LOW CHANCE YOU'RE JUST GOING TO BUMP INTO MANY PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE THE VIRUS AND DON'T KNOW IT YET, THE ONLY PEOPLE GOING INTO LOCKDOWN ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE.

WE'VE GOT TO MOVE TO THAT, OTHERWISE, I DON'T THINK THE PURE RELIEF WHERE WE HAND YOU MONEY TO COVER YOUR BILLS IS VITALLY IMPORTANT, BUT THAT'S NOT A SOLUTION, IT'S JUST BURNING YOUR MONEY TO KEEP YOURSELF WARM.

SO WE'VE GOT TO GET ON A PATH TO GET OUT OF LOCKDOWN.

OTHERWISE, THIS THING COULD LAST A LOT LONGER.

BUT I'M PRETTY OPTIMISTIC THAT, IF WE START DOING THE RIGHT APPROACH, THAT WE COULD GET OUT OF LOCKDOWN THE WAY SOME OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO.

>> Reporter: IN THIS MOMENT, WE'RE HEARING FROM SO MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK WHO ARE ALREADY LOSING THEIR JOBS.

I'LL PLAY SOMETHING FOR YOU FROM ALEXA COUPENS, LIVES IN DENVER, COLORADO, WORKS AS A CONCERT BARTENDER AND EXPRESSES THIS ANXIETY AND WORRY WE HEARD FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE.

TAKE A LISTEN TO HER NOW.

>> I CAN'T SLEEP.

THERE'S SO MUCH ANXIETY, I CAN'T SLEEP.

I'M HAVING NIGHTMARES.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GOING TO HAVE A ROOF OVER MY HEAD NEXT MONTH.

AND I'M NOT SCARED OF GETTING SICK.

I'M SCARED OF LOSING MY APARTMENT.

WE'RE DROWNING.

WE NEED A LIFEBOAT.

WE WANT TO WORK.

>> Reporter: MICHELLE, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE ALEXA OUT THERE.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL HER RIGHT NOW?

>> WELL, I WISH I COULD TELL HER MORE.

BUT HERE'S WHAT I WOULD SAY, ALL OF US ARE GOING THROUGH IT AT THE SAME TIME, SO BE IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH YOUR LANDLORD.

EVERYBODY IS GOING THROUGH THIS.

SO IT'S UNLIKELY THEY'RE GOING TO EVICT HER.

SO SHE'S GOT SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE THAT'S GOING TO BE AN ISSUE.

SO I WOULD SAY THAT SHE'S STILL GOING TO HAVE A ROOF OVER HER HEAD.

I'M PRETTY SURE ABOUT THAT.

CUT WHEREVER SHE CAN NONESSENTIAL EXPENSES, AND THEN JUST HUNKER DOWN AND JUST KNOW THAT THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS.

SHE SHOULD FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT RIGHT AWAY SO THAT THERE'S SOME, AND THEN THAT MONEY WILL HELP HER PAY FOR THE ESSENTIAL THINGS.

RIGHT NOW, FOCUS ON THE ESSENTIALS -- FOOD, UTILITIES -- AND AGAIN, TALK TO YOUR LANDLORD.

UTILITY COMPANIES PROBABLY WON'T TURN OFF YOUR POWER, SO THOSE THINGS WILL HELP THEM NOW.

>> Reporter: AUSTAN, ANOTHER QUESTION FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE, VERY BRIEFLY, IF YOU CAN, THEY WANT TO KNOW, WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACTS -- WE HEAR ABOUT THE BAILOUT MONEY THAT COULD BE COMING -- HOW CAN WE BE SURE IT'S GOING INTO THE RIGHT HANDS, HANDS, i.e., THE POCKETS TO HAVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?

>> THAT'S THE IMPORTANT PART.

KEEP CALLING YOUR CONGRESS PEOPLE, THE PRESIDENT, THE WHITE HOUSE.

YOU SAW THE LAST CALLER, THE ANXIETY AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP, IT'S VERY COMMON, AND PEOPLE LIKE THAT NEED TO BE RESCUED BEFORE WE'RE GOING TO RESCUE WHATEVER, CASINOS AND AIRLINES AND BUSINESSES.

IT IS, IF WE DO NOT LEARN THE LESSON OF THE FINANCIAL BAILOUT OF 2008, WHICH IS, IF YOU'RE GOING TO SAVE COMPANIES, PUT IN SOME REQUIREMENTS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS AND FOR THEIR WORKERS.

THERE'S GOING TO BE A BACKLASH VERY SIMILAR TO THE ONE THAT WE HAD BEFORE, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE BIGGER AND WORSE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE REALLY AFRAID FOR THEIR POSITIONS RIGHT NOW.

>> A LOT OF WORRY AND UNCERTAINTY THERE.

AUSTAN GOOLSBEE AND MICHELLE SINGLETARY.

THANK YOU.

AND THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR QUESTIONS.

CONFRONTING CORONAVIRUS MEANS NOT JUST EXAMINING WHERE AMERICA IS NOW BUT HOW COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE FACING THIS GLOBAL PANDEMIC.

AND THAT IS WHERE JUDY PICKS UP THINGS NEXT.

JUDY?

>> Woodruff: WHAT BEGAN IN CHINA HAS NOW SPREAD AROUND THE GLOBE.

IF YOU'VE LOST COUNT, COVID-19 NOW INFECTS MORE THAN 170 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES, WITH MORE CONFIRMED CASES AND DEATHS EVERY DAY.

OUTSIDE OF CHINA, AMONG THE FIRST-HIT WAS SOUTH KOREA, WHICH HAS MANAGED TO SLOW THE VIRUS' SPREAD THROUGH NATIONAL EFFORT.

THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID FOR ITALY, WHICH NOW HAS THE MOST CASES OUTSIDE OF CHINA.

FOR A LOOK AT HOW EACH OF THESE COUNTRIES IS RESPONDING TO THIS CRISIS, WE TURN TO SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS IN THOSE COUNTRIES: PATRICK FOK IN BEIJING; BRUCE HARRISON IN SEOUL; AND HERMIONE KITSON IN ITALY.

WE WELCOME ALL OF YOU TO OUR SPECIAL.

LET ME START WITH YOU, PATRICK FOK.

TELL ME HOW CHINA HAS DEALT WITH THIS FROM THE BEGINNING AND IS THERE A SENSE THEY'RE BEGINNING TO GET IT UNDER CONTROL?

>> WELL I THINK, JUDY, THE BEST WAY OF DESCRIBING THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW IS IT'S INCREDIBLY UNCERTAIN.

THE HEADLINE PIECE OF NEWS TODAY, OF COURSE, IS THERE WERE NO NEW DOMESTIC CASES OF INFECTION.

THAT'S A MASSIVE STEP FOR CHINA TO TAKE.

BUT, ON THE FLIP SIDE, THERE WERE 34 IMPORTED CASES OF THE DISEASE.

THAT MAY NOT SOUND LIKE AN AWFUL LOT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, WHEN YOU THINK OF THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS CHINA THAT HAVE BEEN INFECTED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT, REMEMBER, JUST A DAY BEFORE, THERE WERE ONLY 12 NEW CASES OF INFECTION, SO IMPORTED CASES REALLY IS THE SITUATION THAT AUTHORITIES ARE GRAPPLING WITH A LOT RIGHT NOW, AND THE FOCUS IS SHIFTING AWAY FROM WUHAN, THE EPICENTER TO HAVE THE VIRUS, TO MAJOR CITIES LIKE IN BEIJING AND SHANGHAI, THESE ARE THE PORTS OF ENTRY WHERE MOST OF THOSE IMPORTED CASES OF INFECTION ARE ARRIVING AND PRESIDENT XI JINPING CHAIRING A SPECIAL COVID 19 MEETING ON WEDNESDAY AND SAID THERE WAS A REAL RISK OF THE OUTBREAK REBOUNDING AT THIS POINT.

>> Woodruff: PATRICK, IS THE GOVERNMENT ACKNOWLEDGING WHAT WAS DONE RIGHT AND WHAT WAS DONE WRONG, AND DO YOU BELIEVE THEM WHEN THEY SAY THIS IS TAPERING OFF?

>> WELL, THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT REALLY HASN'T ACCEPTED AN AWFUL LOT OF BLAME FOR THIS.

FROM THE BEGINNING, IT BLAMED THIS AS BEING THE FAULT OF PROVINCIAL LEADERS, PROVINCIAL LEADERS OF HUBEI PROVINCE, AND IT'S REALLY PORTRAYED THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AS HAVING COME IN AND CLEANED UP THE MESS, ESSENTIALLY, AND IN RECENT DAYS IT'S PORTRAYED THIS AS BEING A VICTORY OF SORTS SAYING THEY HAVE ESSENTIALLY REVERSED THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS AND ALMOST WON THE BATTLE AGAINST THE DISEASE.

BUT THAT IS WHY THIS IS SUCH A CRITICAL TIME FOR BEIJING BECAUSE, IF THERE IS A SECOND WAVE OF THIS OUTBREAK, THERE WILL BE NOBODY TO BLAME, AT THIS POINT, AND THERE IS A LOT OF FRUSTRATION AMONG THE PEOPLE OF CHINA.

THEY ARE FED UP WITH THE SITUATION, THEY ARE FED UP WITH LOCKDOWNS.

THEY WANT THIS SITUATION TO BE OVER.

>> Woodruff: PATRICK FOK IN BEIJING.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

NOW TO SOUTH KOREA, TO SEOUL, AND TO BRUCE HARRISON.

SO, BRUCE, SOUTH KOREA SEEMS TO BE ONE OF THE RARE SUCCESS STORIES IN ALL OF THIS.

TELL US HOW THEY'VE DONE IT, HOW HAVE THEY MANAGED TO BEND THE CURVE AND IS IT ACTUALLY WORKING?

>> JUDY, A STRONG SIGN THE PUBLIC BELIEVES THE GOVERNMENT'S WORKING IS EVIDENT TON STREETS TONIGHT IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT HAVING DINNER AND DRINKS, AND THAT WASN'T THE CASE HERE JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN THE SITUATION SEEMED FAR FROM CONTROL.

BUT THE GOVERNMENT'S DONE A GOOD JOB BUILDING THE PUBLIC'S CONFIDENCE, AND ONE OF THE MAIN WAYS IT'S DONE THAT IS THROUGH FACING, TRACKING AND ISOLATING.

SO IT'S FINDING PEOPLE IT BELIEVES MAY HAVE THE CORONAVIRUS, TESTING THEM AND QUICKLY GETTING THEM INTO ISOLATION, WHETHER A HOME QUARANTINE OR AT A HOSPITAL, TO MAKE SURE THEY DON'T GET MORE SICK AND SPREAD THE VIRUS FURTHER.

AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT ASPECT IS THAT THEY INTERVIEW THESE PEOPLE, THEY FIND OUT WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN AND WHO THEY HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH, SO IT LEADS TO MORE TESTING DOWN THE ROAD.

ANOTHER KEY PART OF THE EFFORT HERE HAS BEEN COMMUNICATION.

I GET SEVERAL TEXT MESSAGES A DAY FROM THE GOVERNMENT TELLING ME WHERE NEW CASES HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED IN SEOUL.

THAT ALLOWS ME TO KNOW WHERE NOT TO GO, OR IF I'M GOING SOMEWHERE TO BE A BIT MORE CAUTIOUS, AND ALL THESE EFFORTS ARE BUILDING TRUST IN THE GOVERNMENT.

THE PUBLIC HERE HAS BEEN QUITE GOOD AT THE GUIDELINES THE GOVERNMENT HAS LAID OUT, WHETHER SOCIAL DISTANCING OR FOLLOWING GUIDELINES ON WASHING HANDS, WEARING MASKS ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, ALL THESE THINGS SEEM TO BE WORKING TO FURTHER PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID 19.

>> Woodruff: AND, BRUCE, HOW CONCERNED ARE PEOPLE, THOUGH, ABOUT WHETHER THERE'S GOING TO BE A SECOND WAVE, WHETHER THIS IS GOING TO LINGER AND COME BACK?

>> JUDY, WE'VE SEEN A SMALL INCREASE IN CASES, AND THIS COMES AFTER SEVERAL CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH A TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES HAD FALLEN BELOW 100, AND THAT WAS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE, AT ONE POINT, CASES WERE OVER 900 IN A SINGLE DAY.

SO THERE'S BEEN SOME OPTIMISM THAT MAYBE THE VIRUS OUTBREAK HAD PEAKED HERE AND THE NUMBERS WOULD ONLY FALL GOING FORWARD.

IT'S TOO SOON TO SAY THAT, BUT I THINK THERE'S OPTIMISM THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE ABLE TO BRING THESE UNDER CONTROL AS WELL.

WE'VE SEEN SOUTH KOREA HAS THE ROBUST CAPABILITY TO TEST UP TO 15,000 PEOPLE A DAY.

THERE SEEMS TO BE NO SHORTAGE OF TESTS NOW.

COMPANIES HAVE BEEN STOCKPILING EVEN BEFORE THE FIRST OUTBREAK IN THIS COMPANY, SO I BELIEVE THE PUBLIC IS HOPING THE GOVERNMENT CAN TARGET THESE NEW CLUSTER INFECTIONS AND PREVENT LARGE OUTBREAKS LIKE WE SAW IN FEBRUARY BEFORE THINGS GET OUT OF HAND AGAIN.

>> Woodruff: BRUCE HARRISON REPORTING FOR US FROM SEOUL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

NOW TO ITALY TO HERMIONE KITSON.

HERMIONE, ITALY HAS TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE DISASTER FOCUS POINTS OF ALL OF THIS.

IS IT GOVERNMENT SAYING -- IS THERE AN UNDERSTANDING NOW OF WHAT WENT WRONG THERE?

>> HEALTH AUTHORITIES BELIEVE THAT PERHAPS THE VIRUS WAS IN CIRCULATION FOR QUITE SOME TIME BEFORE ACTUALLY DETECTED.

IT SPREAD VERY, VERY QUICKLY IN THE DENSELY POPULATION OF THE NORTH AND WHILE ONE REGION WAS DECLARED A RED ZONE AND QUICKLY LOCKED DOWN, THE REST OF THE COUNTRY WASN'T, SO PEOPLE STARRED TO TRAVEL FROM THE NORTH TO THE CENTER AND DOWN INTO THE SOUTH OF THE COUNTRY POTENTIALLY SPREADING THE VIRUS.

IS PERHAPS THE NATIONAL LOCKDOWN COULD HAVE COME INTO EFFECT SOONER.

ANOTHER ELEMENT THAT COMES INTO PLAY WHEN TALKING ABOUT ITALY'S HIGH MORTALITY RATE IS ITS AGING POPULATION.

WE HAVE HERE THE OLDEST POPULATION AND THE AVERAGE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS VICTIM HERE IS 80 YEARS OLD, SO A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THAT VERY HIGH RISK CATEGORY.

>> Woodruff: SO, HERMIONE, NOW THAT THE LOCKDOWN HAS TAKEN EFFECT, HOW HAVE THE HEALTHCARE SERVICES AND THE REST OF THE COUNTRY ARE DOING?

DO THEY FEEL THE SITUATION HAS CRESTED?

>> THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM HERE REALLY IS STRUGGLING.

IT'S OVERWHELMED TO THE BREAKINGPOINT.

THERE ARE MAKESHIFT HOSPITAL WARDS SPILLING OUT INTO CAR PARKS, WAREHOUSES.

THE MEDICAL STAFF ON THE FRONT LINE SAY THEY REALLY HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE.

THEY DESCRIBE A SITUATION LIKE A WAR ZONE AND THEY SAY THEY'RE STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND.

THE GOVERNMENT HAD TO PUT INTO SERVICE 10,000 STUDENT DOCTORS NINE MONTHS BEFORE THEY'RE DUE TO GRADUATE TO BOOST CAPACITY.

SO THIS IS THE SECOND WEEK OF LOCKDOWN.

WE'RE HOPING WE WILL SEE THE EFFECTS IN THE TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF CASES IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

IT'S HOPED THE SPIKE WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST 24 HOURS COULD BE THE PEAK WE'RE WAITING FOR AND WILL SEE THE SLOWDOWN IN THE RATE OF INFECTIONS IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, BUT IF WE DON'T SEE THE SLOWDOWN, THE LOCKDOWN WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE.

>> Woodruff: WE'RE ALL WATCHING AND HOPING FOR THE VERY BEST IN EACH ONE OF THESE COUNTRIES.

HERMIONE, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU AGAIN TO PATRICK FOK, TO BRUCE HARRISON AND TO HERMIONE KITSON.

THEIR EXPERIENCE IS WHAT MANY PEOPLE ARE LOOKING TO, TO FIGURE OUT WHICH DIRECTION THE UNITED STATES IS HEADED.

WILL WE END UP LIKE ITALY OR MORE LIKE SOUTH KOREA?

LET'S GO BACK TO AMNA.

>> Nawaz: FROM COAST TO COAST, SCENES OF A U.S. HEALTHCARE SYSTEM BRACING FOR THE WORST.

TEMPORARY TENTS STANDING SENTRY OUTSIDE SOME HOSPITALS, WINDING LINES OF CARS FOR A LIMITED SUPPLY OF TESTS.

AS FRUSTRATION BUILDS, AMERICA'S MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ARE SOUNDING THE ALARM ABOUT A LOOMING CRISIS: LIKELY SHORTAGES OF EVERYTHING FROM BEDS AND VENTILATORS, TO FACE MASKS AND GLOVES.

>> IF THIS BURNS THROUGH VERY, VERY QUICKLY, WE COULD BE IN TROUBLE.

THERE'S JUST NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT.

>> Woodruff: THE WHITE HOUSE CALL FOR "SOCIAL DISTANCING" IS A CRUCIAL PART OF THE NATIONAL RESPONSE.

>> ENJOY YOUR HOME.

STAY.

I WOULD JUST SAY, RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED.

>> Woodruff: IT'S AN ATTEMPT TO" FLATTEN THE CURVE" OR SLOW THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS ENOUGH SO THAT HOSPITALS AREN'T OVERWHELMED WITH A SURGE OF PATIENTS ALL AT ONCE.

STILL, THE U.S. HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS READYING FOR AN INFLUX OF CASES IT WILL STRUGGLE TO CARE FOR.

THERE ARE NEARLY 47,000 INTENSIVE CARE BEDS AT COMMUNITY HOSPITALS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

BUT EVEN A MODERATE OUTBREAK, EXPERTS SAY, WOULD REQUIRE QUADRUPLE THAT, SOME 200,000 I.C.U.

BEDS.

SO, FOR NOW, A SCRAMBLE TO EXPAND MEDICAL CAPACITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

IN NEW YORK STATE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS EVEN SPEEDING UP CERTIFICATIONS OF NURSING STUDENTS AND CALLING ON RETIRED DOCTORS AND NURSES TO HELP.

HEALTH OFFICIALS LEADING THE U.S.

RESPONSE ARE URGING HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE TO POSTPONE ELECTIVE SURGERIES.

>> LET'S ALL BE RESPONSIBLE AND CANCEL THINGS THAT WE CAN CANCEL TO REALLY FREE UP HOSPITAL BEDS AND SPACE.

>> Nawaz: IN WASHINGTON STATE, THE COUNTRY'S FIRST VIRUS HOTSPOT, A CLINICAL TRIAL FOR A COVID-19 VACCINE KICKED OFF THIS WEEK.

ANY VACCINE ROLLOUT, HOWEVER, WOULDN'T BE READY FOR AT LEAST A YEAR.

AMONG THE BIGGEST CONCERNS TO DATE?

A FAILURE TO TEST ENOUGH PEOPLE QUICKLY ENOUGH, AND ENSURING FRONTLINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO CARE FOR INCOMING PATIENTS AND PROTECT THEMSELVES.

>> THERE WERE NURSES EXPOSED TO A POSSIBLE COVID-19 PATIENT.

I DON'T KNOW IF I NEED TO BE OFF UNTIL WE GET THE PATIENT'S TEST RESULTS BACK.

I'M LEFT WONDERING WHAT TO DO.

>> Woodruff: HOW WILL OUR SYSTEM COPE AS AMERICA'S DOCTORS AND NURSES ARE HIT BY THE VERY VIRUS THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGHT?

THOSE ARE THE BIG QUESTIONS: WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE U.S. NEXT, AND HOW PREPARED IS OUR HEALTH SYSTEM?

JOINING ME HERE IS: CHERYL PETERSON OF THE AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION, REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF AROUND FOUR MILLION NURSES NATIONWIDE; AND DR. ASHISH JHA, WHO RUNS THE HARVARD GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE AND JOINS US FROM BOSTON.

WELCOME TO YOU BOTH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

I WANT TO GET RIGHT IN TO SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE SURE HAVE A LOT.

I WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO LAINE ABRAMSON, 54 YEARS OLD, UNDERLYING RESPIRATORY ISSUES, COPD AND ASTHMA.

SHE HAS A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR BOTH OF YOU.

TAKE A LISTEN.

>> AS SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM BECAUSE OF THE COMMON COLD, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME WHEN THE HOSPITALS ARE OVERFLOWING AND DOCTORS HAVE TO DECIDE WHO GETS TO LIVE AND WHO GETS TO DIE?

>> DR. JHA, WHY DON'T YOU TAKE THIS FIRST?

WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE TO LAINE?

>> FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T GET TO THE POINT WHERE DOCTORS AND NURSES ARE HAVING TO DECIDE WHO GETS TO LIVE AND DIE.

I WOULD SAY TAKE GOOD CABE OF YOURSELF.

TAKE YOUR MEDICINES.

IF YOU FEEL ILL, DON'T GO TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, BUT REACH OUT TO YOUR DOCTOR, OBVIOUSLY TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM THE HOSPITAL.

I'M HOPEFUL THAT IF YOU GET SICK AND NEED CARE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT FOR YOU HOPEFULLY ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY.

>> Reporter: CHERYL, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO HER?

>> I AGREE.

I THINK WE'RE NOT AT A PLACE WHERE WE NEED TO PANIC YESTERDAY.

HOWEVER, WE NEED TO HAVE OUR HOSPITALS MAKING PLANS NOW ABOUT HOW ARE THEY GOING TO MAKE THESE VERY DIFFICULT DECISIONS THAT MAY BE DOWN THE LINE, AND THESE ARE DECISIONS THAT SHOULD NOT BE MADE BY FRONT LINE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND BY DOCTORS AND NURSES PROVIDING CARE, THEY MUST BE MADE AS A SYSTEMS LEVEL AND BE GROUNDED WITH OUR ETHICS.

ARE DECISIONS EQUITABLE?

ARE THEY CONSISTENT?

ARE THEY TRANSPARENT?

AND WHEN IS THE TRIG TORE MAKE THOSE DECISIONS?

AND WHEN'S THE TRIGGER TO STOP?

>> Reporter: ARE YOU CONFIDENT PEOPLE LIKE LAINE WILL GET THE CARE THEY NEED EVEN IF THERE'S A SURGE OF COVID 19 PATIENTS?

>> YES, I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO CARE FOR ABSOLUTELY EVERY PATIENT WHO IS IN NEED OF HELP.

IT MAY LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHEN IT WOULD IF WE WERE IN A PARCHDEMIC, BUT WE ARE HERE TO CARE FOR PEOPLE.

>> Reporter: LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT VERY IMPORTANT WORK DONE BY FRONT LINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS.

I WANT TO GO TO CHEVON JONES AMONG THEM.

IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY, THEY HAVE BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES OF ONE OF THE COVID 19 HOT SPOTS.

>> HEALTHCARE WORKERS WHO ARE REALLY, YOU KNOW, ON THE FRONT LINES, YOU KNOW, ARE THEY GOING TO BECOME ILL?

YOU KNOW, EXHAUSTION, YOU KNOW, THINGS OF THAT NATURE?

SO, YES, MY BIGGEST QUESTION IS HOW LONG?

I GUESS NO ONE CAN REALLY ANSWER THAT QUESTION, HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO REALLY GO ON?

>> WE'VE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM HEALTHCARE WORKERS.

BEFORE I RESPOND, I WANT TO SHOW YOU PICTURES WE'VE GOT IN FROM SOME OF THE FRONT LINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN WASHINGTON STATE, HERE'S THEM COBBLING TOGETHER PROTECTIVE GEAR OUT OF OFFICE SUPPLIES BECAUSE OF A SHORTAGE THEY'VE ALREADY REACHED.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THEM, CHEVON, TO THE AMERICANS WHO RELY ON THEM FROM N THE WEEKS TO MONTHS AHEAD?

>> UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE FAILED IN REALLY DOING THE SOLID PLANNING THAT WOULD HAVE PREPARED US TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND IN A PANDEMIC.

NOW, WHAT WE SEE IS INGENUITY REALLY HAPPENING WITH HEALTHCARE WORKERS.

THAT BEING SAID, WE NEED FOR OUR HEALTH SYSTEMS AND NURSES AND OTHERS TO THINK ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO SUSTAIN OURSELVES?

HOW ARE WE GOING TO LOOK AT STAFFING?

ARE WE GOING TO SHORTEN SHIFTS TO ALLOW FOR MORE REST BETWEEN WHEN WE HAVE TO WORK?

AND ARE WE TAKING CARE OF OURSELVES MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY AND ACTUALLY TO YOUR FIRST SPEAKER, THE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE, WE HAVE ALSO FAILED TO MAINTAIN A PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO RESPONDING TO THIS KIND OF SYSTEM.

WE CAN AND SHOULD BE BETTER.

WE NEED TO LEARN FROM THIS -- FROM WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH THIS PANDEMIC.

>> Reporter: DR. JHA, PEOPLE WILL HEAR FAILURE AND FAILURE AND FAILURE AND WONDER CAN WE BE READY?

CAN THE HOSPITALS GET THE FACE MASKS, THE VENTILATORS AND THE STAFFING?

WILL THOSE NEEDS BE MET BY WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND OTHERS ARE DOING NOW?

>> LET ME ECHO CHERYL'S POINT.

IT HAS BEEN A FAILURE.

WE'VE HAD TWO MONTHS TO PREPARE FOR THIS PANDEMIC, WE'VE KNOWN THIS WAS COMING AND HAVE NOT RESPONDED ADEQUATELY.

SO IF THE QUESTION IS ARE WE GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT MASKS AND GLOVES TO KEEP NURSES AND DOCTORS HEALTHY SO THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF PATIENTS, THE ANSWER IS NOT UNLESS WE WORK REALLY HARD TO DO IT.

WE'VE GOT TO RAMP UP PRODUCTION.

THIS HAS TO BE A FEDERAL RESPONSE.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS TO MAKE THIS A TOP PRIORITY.

WE CAN HAVE ALL THE HOSPITAL BEDS AND ALL THE I.C.U.

BEDS, BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE NURSES AND DOCTORS READY TO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE, THOSE BEDS WILL BE USELESS.

I HAVE TO SAY, I HAVE NOT SEEN THE URGENCY COMING OUT TO HAVE THE WHITE HOUSE ON MAKING THIS AS MUCH OF A PRIORITY AS IT NEEDS TO BE.

>> Reporter: YOU'VE NOT SEEN THAT YET.

LET ME MAKE SURE PEOPLE OUT THERE ARE GETTING SOME OF THE RIGHT INFORMATION IN TERMS OF HOW THEY CAN BE PROCESSING THIS.

DR. PURVA GROVER WHO WE WILL HEAR FROM NEXT, A MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC, TELLS US HOW TO MESSAGE TO OUR PATIENTS.

>> I CAN TELL YOU FIRST HAND, I WAS WORKING A SHIFT YESTERDAY EVENING, THERE REMAINS CONSIDERABLE CONFUSION AND CHAOS AMONGST OUR PATIENT POPULATION AND, AT THIS TIME, TAKING THE TIME TO SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND EXPLAINING, BECAUSE IF THEY'RE ABLE TO EXPLAIN ONCE TO THE FAMILY, THE MESSAGE GOES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AND THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

>> Reporter: TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONFUSION, WHO SHOULD BE GOING TO THE HOSPITALS?

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR?

>> RIGHT NOW, IF YOU'RE HAVING AN EMERGENCY, A HEART ATTACK, A STROKE, BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT, PEOPLE NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, THAT HAS TO REMAIN THAT WAY.

IF YOU'RE HAVING SYMPTOMS, YOU'RE WORRIED YOU MAY HAVE COVID 19, YOU HAVE A FEVER, A COUGH, THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS TO REACH OUT TO YOUR DOCTOR BY PHONE OR BY SOME OTHER MECHANISM AND TALK THROUGH WHERE YOU ARE, DEPENDING ON YOUR RISK PROFILE, DEPENDING ON HOW SERIOUS YOUR SYMPTOMS ARE.

IDEALLY I WOULD LOVE TO TEST EVERYBODY LIKE THAT BUT WE CAN'T BECAUSE WE'RE STILL RATIONING TESTING, BUT IT'S WORKING WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIND OUT WHAT THE RIGHT CARE IS.

>> Reporter: CHERYL, IF YOU HAD TO TELL PEOPLE HERE ARE TWO THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW TO FEEL PREPARED, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

>> SELF-ISOLATE.

WE'RE DOING IT ALREADY.

DON'T GO INTO CROWDS, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, GET PLENTY OF REST.

MAYBE TURN OFF SOME OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA THAT'S HYPING YOUR ANXIETY A LITTLE BIT AND KEEFE YOUR HANDS CLEAN.

THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S GOING TO HELP US BEND THIS CURVE.

>> CHERYL PETERSON AND DR. ASHISH JHA, THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Reporter: WE HIT A MILESTONE THIS WEEK IN AMERICA WITH WEST VIRGINIA CONFIRMING IT'S FIRST CASE.

NOVEL CORONAVIRUS IS NOW IN ALL 50 STATES AND U.S.

TERRITORIES.

HOTSPOTS INCLUDE WASHINGTON STATE, CALIFORNIA, AND NEW YORK, BUT HERE'S A LOOK AT THE VIRUS' SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.

>> Woodruff: NOW, LET'S TALK TO ONE OF THE TOP OFFICIALS OVERSEEING OUR NATIONAL RESPONSE: DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES.

HE JOINS ME FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.

DR. FUTUREY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

NOW THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS BEGUN THIS MASSIVE MOBILIZATION, THE COUNTRY'S VIRTUALLY SHUT DOWN.

IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT AMERICANS ARE STARTING TO GET THEIR ARMS AROUND THIS CRISIS?

>> YES, I THINK, AS A WHOLE, AS A COUNTRY, A COUPLE OF THINGS, JUDY, THEY'RE STARTING TO REALLY SEE THE SERIOUSNESS OF IT, NOT ONLY FROM WITHIN, WHEN YOU SEE THE NEW CASES EVERY SINGLE DAY, BUT LOOKING AT WHAT'S HAPPENED AT OTHER COUNTRIES -- IN CHINA, IN SOUTH KOREA, IN JAPAN, TO SOME EXTENT, AND NOW IN EUROPE, WHERE MOST OF THE NEW CASES ARISING GLOBALLY ARE COMING FROM EUROPE.

THAT, TOGETHER, WITH THE VERY FORCEFUL APPROACH THAT'S BEEN TAKING TO CONTAINMENT AND MITIGATION RIGHT NOW, I THINK THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, AT LEAST FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS, JUDY, SOME, I THINK, DISTURBING EXCEPTIONS WHERE YOU SEE PICTURES WHICH ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, TOTALLY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COUNTRY, BUT PEOPLE IN BARS AND IN DANCES AND IN PARTIES.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE GUIDELINES PUT OUT JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, THEY WERE DECIDED UPON BECAUSE OF SOME SERIOUS REFLECTION ABOUT WHAT THE BEST THING TO DO FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, AND THOSE GUIDELINES SHOULD REALLY BE READ CAREFULLY BY EVERYONE.

YOU KNOW, THE IDEA ABOUT MAKING SURE PEOPLE WHO ARE ELDERLY AND PARTICULARLY THOSE WITH UNDERLYING CONDITIONS SHOULD SELF-ISOLATE, STAY AWAY FROM CROWDS AND BARS, ALL THE KINDS OF THINGS.

THEY'RE VERY WELL SPELLED OUT THERE.

I THINK, FOR THE MOST PART, THE COUNTRY IS SEEING THAT.

OF COURSE, IT CAN BE INCONVENIENT, BUT THIS IS A VERY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE TO PRESENT SOMETHING THAT COULD GET VERY BAD, TO BLUNT IT SO THAT IT IS WITHIN REASON SO THAT WE CAN CONTAIN.

I THINK WE CAN DO IT.

JUDY, I KNOW WE CAN DO IT, BUT WE JUST NEED TO IMPLEMENT THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED.

>> Woodruff: SO JUST QUICKLY, YOU MENTIONED CHINA, NO NEW CASES THERE.

TODAY, THEY REPORTED FOR A FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME.

DOES THAT GIVE YOU A SENSE AND OTHERS A SENSE OF HOW LONG THE U.S. IS GOING TO BE DEALING WITH THIS?

>> WELL, AGAIN, WE GET ASKED THAT ALL THE TIME.

ONE CANNOT GIVE A DEFINITIVE DATE ABOUT AN X -- IN X NUMBER OF WEEKS WE'RE GOING TO BE OKAY AND WE CAN GO BACK TO NORMAL.

THAT'S THE REASON, WHINE THE GUIDELINES CAME OUT, THEY CAME OUT AS A 15-DAY INTERIM GUIDELINE TO REEVALUATE ATTEND OF THAT PERIOD TO SEE WHERE WE'RE GOING BECAUSE, OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS FORMIDABLE.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS THAT ARE GOING UP, WE'VE GOT TO SEE IF WE CAN GET AHEAD OF THE CURVE.

YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS SAY -- AND I BELIEVE IT'S TRUE -- THAT WHEN YOU REACT TO SOMETHING AND IT HAS TO DO WITH AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAK, WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE OVERREACTING, YOU ARE PROBABLY REACTING APPROPRIATELY OR MAYBE UNDERREACTING.

SO I KNOW PEOPLE ARE A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT, WELL, HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO LAST?

HOW INCONVENIENT IS IT GOING TO BE?

LEST JUST HOLD TIGHT AND SEE HOW THINGS WILL GO OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

>> Reporter: FIRST, WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD TO SAY ABOUT TESTING FOR NEW DRUGS, ANTI-MALARIA DRUGS, HOW CONFIDENT ARE SCIENTISTS THAT THERE'S A REAL POTENTIAL WITH SOME OF THESE?

>> JUDY, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, AND IT REALLY IS A QUESTION OF A BALANCE.

NONE OF THE DRUGS THAT ARE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW HAVE BEEN DEFINITIVELY PROVEN TO BE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE, BUT -- AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT BUT -- THERE ARE SOME WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS, SOMETIMES ANECDOTAL, WHICH ARE NOT GREAT CONTROLS, SOME IN ANIMAL MODELS.

WHEN YOU HAVE AN OUTBREAK WHERE THERE ARE NO SPECIFIC THERAPIES -- WE WERE FACED WITH THIS VERY CLEARLY DURING THE EARLY YEARS OF H.I.V.

BEFORE WE EHAD NO AVAILABLE EFFECTIVE AND SAFE DRUGS -- WHAT YOU DO IS STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN MAKING SOMETHING AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, AT THE SAME TIME YOU DO IT UNDER THE AUSPICES OF A PROTOCOL, AND IT COULD BE A RELATIVELY LOOSE PROTOCOL, LIKE AN EXPANDED ACCESS PROTOCOL, AND EVEN DO SOME COMPASSIONATE USAGE WHERE YOU HAVE A BALANCE BETWEEN GETTING THINGS TO PEOPLE WHO NEED IT BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, NOT JUST THROWING DRUGS OUT THERE THAT YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT.

YOU REALLY HAVE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF A PERIOD -- SOME SORT OA PROTOCOL TO LOOK AT SAFETY AND TO GET SOME EFFICACY SIGNAL.

THAT'S WHAT THE PRESIDENT WAS TALKING ABOUT, THAT'S WHAT STEVE HAHN, THE COMMISSIONER OF THE F.D.A.

WAS TALKING ABOUT FOOD.

>> Woodruff: VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAID TODAY COVID 19 TESTS ARE AVAILABLE IN ALL 50 STATES.

WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED.

DR. FAUCI, HOW LONG BEFORE THEY AR THERE EVERY PLACE THEY'RE NEEDED?

>> JUDY, I CAN'T GIVE YOU A DATE WHEN EVERY PLACE IN EVERY STATE IN EVERY LOCATION IS GOING TO GET IT, BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU WITH SOME CONFIDENCE THAT OUR NEW EMBRACING AND PARTNERING WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND GETTING THE STATE AND LOCAL INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN IMPLEMENTING THAT, WE'RE GOING TO SEE A VERY DRAMATIC UPTICK IN NOT ONLY THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT ARE -- TESTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE, BUT THE NUMBER OF TESTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY DONE, AND THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING BECAUSE, YOU REMEMBER BACK, TESTS WERE AVAILABLE BUT THEY WEREN'T BEING IMPLEMENTED.

I'M CONFIDENT IT'S GOING TO GO WAY UP.

I HESITATE TO SAY ON THIS DATE EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO WILL NEED IT WILL GET IT BECAUSE YOU CAN NEVER GUARANTEE THAT.

>> Woodruff: PRESIDENT TRUMP IS REGULARLY REFERRING TO THIS AS THE CHINESE VIRUS, AND NOW MANY PEOPLE ARE DENOUNCING HIS USE OF THE TERM.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT AND HAVE YOU SPOKEN WITH THE PRESIDENT ABOUT IT?

>> YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT.

I, OBVIOUSLY, CAN'T CONTROL WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAYS, BUT THE FACT IS I DON'T DO THAT AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE DON'T, HOPEFULLY PEOPLE WILL NOT BE DOING THAT.

YOU KNOW, IT JUST GETS TO THE POINT, WHENEVER YOU PUT A DESIGNATION ON IT, THERE ALWAYS IS A BIT OF STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.

>> Woodruff: THE WHITE HOUSE ALSO SAID TODAY MASKS AND OTHER PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS NEED, THEY SAY IT'S BEING MADE AVAILABLE QUICKLY.

BUT YOU'RE STILL HEARING ABOUT DOCTORS, I HEARD A PHYSICIAN AN HOUR AGO IN RHODE ISLAND SAYING SHE'S TALKING TO COLLEAGUES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WHO DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MASKS OR PROTECTIVE GEAR.

HOW LONG, WHEN IS THAT GOING TO BE AVAILABLE?

>> JUDY, NOT TO BE EVASIVE, I CAN TELL YOU VERY SOON.

BUT A COUPLE OF THINGS HAVE COME OUT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS.

THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED HE'S EMPLOYED THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO GET FROM THEIR STOCKPILES NOT ONLY VENTILATORS BUT ALSO MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF MASKS.

AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWER ALSO RIGHT NOW TODAY, BUT EVERYTHING IS IN MOTION TO MAKE A LOT MORE OF THESE AVAILABLE.

>> Woodruff: AND QUICKLY, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THE ELDERLY, THOSE WITH UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS, MOST VULNERABLE, BUT THERE'S ALSO NEW INFORMATION THAT YOUNGER PEOPLE MAY BE MORE VULNERABLE THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.

NEW DATA COMING IN, NOT JUST THIS COUNTRY BUT OTHER COUNTRIES.

WHAT SHOULD YOUNG PEOPLE KNOW?

>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THERE STILL IS CLEARLY MUCH LESS OF A RISK OF SERIOUS IMPACT IN A YOUNGER PERSON, NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.

HOWEVER, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT THERE ARE SOME YOUNGER PEOPLE, NOW THAT WE KNOW MORE CASES, MANY HAVE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS.

WE NEED TO LOOK AT IT MORE CAREFULLY TO SEE HOW MANY OF THEM ACTUALLY HAVE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS.

AND IT ISN'T THEIR YOUTH THAT'S AT RISK, IT'S THE UNDERLYING CONDITION.

WE DON'T KNOW THAT NOW, SO NO PROCLAMATIONS ABOUT THAT.

BUT IT BRINGS UP A GOOD POINT, JUDY.

IT MEANS THAT YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT THEY PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM GETTING INFECTED FOR TWO VERY IMPORTANT REASONS -- ONE, THEIR OWN HEALTH.

THIS IS NOT A TRIVIAL INFECTION.

BUT, NUMBER, TWO EVEN IF THEY GET AN INFECTION THAT'S MILD AND INCONSEQUENTIAL FOR THEM, THE FACT THAT THEY ARE INFECTED, THEY MAY INADVERTENTLY INFECT SOMEONE LIKE A GRANDMOTHER OR GRANDFATHER WHO'S ELDERLY, LIKE A RELATIVE, A FRIEND, A LOVED ONE, OR ANYONE IN SOCIETY WHO HAS AN UNDERLYING CONDITION THAT WOULD MAKE THEM MORE SUSCEPTIBLE.

SO YOU HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF, FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH AS A YOUNG PERSON, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE A SOCIETAL -- AND I THINK IN SOME RESPECTS A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY -- TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR INFECTION, WHICH MAY NOT BOTHER YOU A LOT, DOESN'T DRAMATICALLY HURT SOMEONE ELSE.

SO THAT'S MY MESSAGE TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE.

>> Woodruff: FINALLY, DR. FAUCI, DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR AMERICANS WHO ARE WATCHING AND LISTENING TONIGHT WHO ARE FRIGHTENED AND WORRIED FOR THEID THEMSELVES IS THIS.

>> THE MESSAGE WE HAVE IS, OBVIOUSLY, IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE WHEN YOU'RE TEARING ALL THE THINGS GOING ON THAT YOU BE FRIGHTENED.

THE MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE POSSIBLY CAN TO PUT EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING IN PLACE THAT WOULD MITIGATE OR DAMPEN THE EFFECT OF THIS.

SO, AGAIN, HANG IN THERE.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL PASS AND, HOPEFULLY, WILL PASS WITH A MINIMUM OF DAMAGE.

BUT WE ARE ALL IN THIS TO TRY AND OBVIATE IT.

>> Woodruff: DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, JUDY.

>> Woodruff: UNLIKE PRACTICALLY EVERY OTHER CHALLENGE WE FACE AS AMERICANS, AS HUMANS, NO ONE IS IMMUNE FROM THIS VIRUS.

IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO HARM US ALL, UNLESS WE TAKE STEPS TO LIMIT ITS SPREAD, TO PROTECT OURSELVES, OUR LOVED ONES, AND PEOPLE WE DON'T KNOW.

WE CAN ADDRESS ITS POTENTIAL TO DO HARM BY, IN TURN, OUR OWN EFFORTS TO DO GOOD.

OUR HUMANITY, THE THING THAT MAKES US VULNERABLE TO THIS VIRUS, IS ALSO THE THING THAT CAN KEEP IT AT BAY.

WHICH IS WHY WE CHOOSE TO END ON A HOPEFUL NOTE TONIGHT, KNOWING THAT AMERICANS COMING TOGETHER HAVE THE CAPACITY TO PREVAIL AGAINST THIS DEADLY ENEMY.

AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR SPECIAL, "CONFRONTING CORONOVIRUS."

BE SURE TO JOIN US TOMORROW NIGHT ON THE PBS NEWSHOUR.

AND YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND MORE ON OUR WEB SITE, www.pbs.org/newshour, AND ON OUR SOCIAL PAGES.

WE WISH YOU AL GOOD HEALTH AND COMFORT.

GOOD NIGHT.

>> AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

Captioning sponsored by NEWSHOUR PRODUCTIONS, LLC Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org